The Belu Lilin: Freyja

The Belu Lilin: Freyja

In my urban fantasy trilogy, “belu” is the ancient word for “original demon.” So the belu lilin, Freyja, was the very first lilin ever created. To celebrate the last book in the trilogy coming out, I thought I’d write a little more about each belu’s origins.

Freyja, the Myth

Freyja comes from Norse mythology. She’s the goddess of fertility, love, sex, all them good stuff. She’s got some cool mythology surrounding her, having a chariot pulled by two cats, keeps a boar by her side, possessing a cloak of falcon feathers. You know, the typical awesome that comes with being a goddess. In Demon Spring, she’s the belu lilin. Lilin, for those unfamiliar, are lust demons, based on Mesopotamian lore about night spirits that attacked men. In the book, lilins use pheromones and glamour (magic to change their appearance) to get humans to fall in love with them.

Freyja, the Belu

In the books, Freyja is described as a pale woman with pointy ears and long blonde hair. That is, of course, with her glamour. Without it, she’s a wiry-haired, gray-skinned creature with fangs. We first meet Freyja in Resurgence, where she walks in pumping miasma and gorgeousness. Jack’s nearly taken, if not for Anya’s firm hand on his shoulder. In the second book, it’s Freyja’s bottled glamour that helps Jack and Anya escape from some sticky situations. She’s treated more like a patron saint in Amsterdam, where a giant mural depicts her in all her glory.

But it’s in book three where we really get some good face time with her. As with most of the demons, it’s clear that along the way, she’s lost a little control over her spawn. Whereas she stocks her castle bedrooms with condoms and other protection, her lilins basically run amok. They actively prey on humans with little remorse. While Freyja does bear some responsibility, Bael is the king. And therefore sets the tone.

Buy the first book in the Demon Spring trilogy

Demon hunter Jack Grenard’s life changed three years ago when his wife was brutally murdered by the very demons he’d been hunting. At the urging of his partner Cam Macarro, he’s starting a new life in Atlanta, hoping he’ll find the man he used to be. But on a routine hunt, they come across a new type of demon–one that saves instead of kills.

Meanwhile, demons across Atlanta are preparing for the quadrennial uprising of their Underworld brethren. Worse yet, there’s a rumor the so-called king of the demons, Bael, will appear for the first time in over a century. Jack and Cam must uncover the truth about the mystery woman before all hell–literally–breaks loose.